Generally, conventional patient care beds provide for inclination of both the head and foot sections of the bed. Such inclination is typically obtained by inclining the head or foot mattress support sections which are pivotally connected to the bed's main frame. Inclination of either the head or foot section of a conventional patient care bed provides no configuration of the bed mattress whereby a hospital attendant may position a bed pan or bath tub beneath the patient without physically lifting or moving the patient.
In applicant's earlier application, Ser. No. 352,348, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,435,861, there is described a ledge bed including a stiff leg assembly pivotally connected to the head mattress support. The stiff leg assembly can be vertically positioned so that when the main frame is lowered, the stiff leg assembly will engage the floor surface whereupon the head mattress support will form a ledge vertically displaced above the foot mattress support. When the bed is to be lowered without forming a ledge, the stiff leg assembly is tied or otherwise secured to the main frame at an angle with respect to the vertical such that when the bed is lowered, the stiff leg assembly will not engage the floor. Similarly, in applicant's earlier application, Ser. No. 391,126, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,047, there is described a ledge bed overlay cooperatively used with a conventional patient care bed. In that patent, there is described a ledge bed overlay apparatus which includes a stiff leg assembly pivotally attached to the mattress support member which is maintained in a retracted position when not in use and is positioned vertically to be operative.
In both of the applicant's aforementioned patents, the stiff leg of the ledge bed device must be manually positioned and secured to render it inoperative. Unless the stiff leg is manually secured, the stiff leg assembly will remain in the operable position upon raising the bed from the ledge forming position. The patient attendant may thus inadvertently leave the stiff leg assembly in the operable position so that the ledge is formed if the bed is lowered. Moreover, such hospital beds are typically equipped with a lowering device which when actuated lowers the bed to the lowermost position. Thus, it is possible for the attendant to leave the stiff leg assembly in an operable position, actuate the bed lowering mechanism and leave the patient's room before the bed is lowered into its lowermost position in which a ledge is formed, leaving the patient in an uncomfortable position until the patient is able to summon assistance in removing the ledge.